Veteran
by Dayne Abraxas
Summary: When fighting against those with so much more raw power, how far does experience help a person?
1. Prologue

Retitled! And changed summary, because I finally know which direction to take... Mostly... Don't worry about it.  
This story AU of a book in the dream of someone reading said book which has _nothing_ to do with them... Yeah, don't worry about that, either.

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" _You brought this upon yourself… You broke my foundation for peace… a mission passed on for generations in my clan… Now, you will be nothing more than a mere tool for me to use… Just be glad that you will become a stepping stone for the world of peace!"_

 **Prologue: Escape**

When he regains his consciousness, he grit his teeth, eyes tightening from the sensation in his skull. There is a pressure building up in his head, making him grit his teeth even harder. As he tries to move, he is met with resistance. His arms are behind him, bound in place, leaving him stuck on his back. The binding has a rough texture to it and, as he tests its durability, he finds that it is made from a very solid material.

A memory resurfaces from his mind. An open palm strike, hand impacting wood. His head pounds from the memory, so tries to move to a more comfortable position, but he finds that his body would not listen to his will. With his movement currently unavailable, he focuses on opening his eyes.

He cracks one eye open. His right eye doesn't seem to be responding. The moment he opens his eye, he is met with darkness. There is a great void at his current location. He looks around, seeing that he is in what looks to be a densely packed 'village', for the lack of a better word, made of concrete slabs with varying heights. Beyond is even more of the dark void.

' _Where am I..?'_

Soon, the pressure on his skull fades enough so he could think without pain. He has no memory of how he got here or who took him here. All he can remember is that he is a ninja, though he couldn't remember which village he hails from. Before he could think further, however, his eye starts to close, vision becoming blurrier as time passes.

' _Why… do I feel like I am getting weaker..?'_

He couldn't tell at first, but his body is progressively getting weaker. Over time, it just feel heavier. As if his body is telling him to rest. But, as he tries to focus, he notices that his chakra is flowing strangely from how it should. They are flowing towards his arms, leaving his body the same way blood leaves the body as a leech sucks them out. This binding is slowly draining him of his chakra. His heart starts to beat faster, adrenalin pushing his exhaustion aside.

With all his might, he tries to break the bindings apart, finding that his strength is just not enough to even crack them. His breathing becoming shorter and shorter as he keeps trying and failing to free himself.

' _I need to calm down and think this through…'_

With that thought in mind, he takes deep breaths to steady his pounding heart. Using his new found calm, he digs deep in his memories to try and find _something_ he is capable of doing that can free him. A memory surfaces of him creating small portals to entertain a young child.

' _Better than nothing...'_

He focuses his chakra at his bindings, trying to replicate the sensation from his memory. A small part of binding vanishes, giving him enough room to free his arms. A short distance away, the missing piece falls from a small portal, which vanishes as quickly as it came. He rises to a sitting position. He didn't notice earlier, but his hair is long, reaching almost to the middle of his back. Either it's always been like that, or he's been imprisoned for a long time.

He takes deep breaths, formulating a plan for escape. With no visible exit, he decides to use the same technique that he used to free himself from his bindings. He concentrates on the space in front of him. The portal he eventually forms is small, but it is large enough for him to have a glimpse at his destination. What he sees on the other side is a forest. He expands the portal to fit a person, using up a lot of his remaining chakra, then he jumps through the portal before it closes.

He lands on the ground, panting hard from using too much chakra. When he regains his breath, he looks around him. No one else is in sight. He takes a deep breath before running off to the direction in front of him. It takes him a while until he encounters another person at a small clearing. The person is wearing a grey armor with black standard shinobi garb underneath. From where he is standing, he could tell that they are wearing a mask. ANBU. They are on their knees, focusing on the damage that forms the small clearing. They are distracted. It is a perfect chance to strike them down to steal their supplies and clothes to blend in.

With a goal set, he readies himself to approach the other person. Once he is near enough, he strikes, pulling the other person in a choke hold. Having been so absorbed in their investigation, they had no time to react. They won't go down without a fight, however. Using what little mobility they had, the ANBU strikes him. They are at a disadvantage, though. He can feel the ANBU ready the strikes, giving him the opportunity to prevent the attack. Soon, the ANBU lost consciousness from oxygen deprivation. He drops the ANBU, turning them around. The mask they wore bore a very familiar symbol.

' _Kirigakure, huh? At least I know where I am…'_

He brings the ANBU's body away from the clearing, switching clothes with them, taking the supplies in case he is forced to fight. Among the weapons is a ko-wakizashi, which will come in handy in a close fight. He takes a kunai from the pouch, starting the process of cropping off his long hair.

Once he finishes, he performs several hand signs, placing his palm on the unconscious ANBU's chest. Black symbols with a purple glow starts to wrap the ANBU's body as he absorbs their chakra. He only takes enough so he can use the trees for travel. He has no intention to kill the ANBU, though this will cause them to stay unconscious for some time longer. Soon he finishes and then he grabs the mask. It is white with a red lining following the lower eye slits with two red dots on each brow. He wears it and heads off to find the edge of the island.


	2. Encounter

" _We've been discovered! Mei, run!"_

" _But, Ao-"_

" _I'll act as a distraction!"_

" _I can't leave you!"_

" _Just go! You know how the Mizukage reacts to disobedience! We've come too far the fail now!"_

" _Ao-"_

" _Mei… You are our only hope… Please, end this..."_

" _I won't forget you! I promise, I will get you back!"_

 **Bloody Mist: Encounter**

Without much of a plan, he just keeps jumping from branch to branch a linear path. Though it is a bit careless to travel in such an aimless manner, no one should question him while wearing the guise of one of their ANBU. Though he is curious about who captured him and why, his want to escape and recuperate is greater. Leaving the Land of Water will mean being far away from his unknown jailer. He keeps up in his path to find a way out of the country.

He isn't sure how, but he senses a presence ahead. He ignores the possible danger of an encounter, however, confident that the person ahead would ignore an ANBU passing by. He nears the person. A woman, about 30 years of age wearing a gray flak jacket on top of her standard shinobi garb. Her hair is auburn, reaching to her ankles. She lifts her head and her green eyes meets his masked face. Her face fills with recognition then shifts to anger as she reacts to his appearance.

"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!"

He stops in his tracks and quickly jumps to the side to dodge the mist she blows from her mouth. It is fortunate that he did, for everything the mist makes contact with seems to be disintegrating. It would have ended him then and there.

' _Not good… Did she see through my disguise?'_ As he thinks back, however, this can't be the case.

' _Maybe… she's the one the ANBU was after?'_ She prepares for another attack.

' _I can't fight with that mist of hers…'_ He knows that he needs to stop her from using the mist again. While he can't incapacitate her with an attack, there is one thing he can try. ' _Well, let's see how well I can bluff…'_

"Nice moves… Though it leaves too much trail, doesn't it?"

His opponent's eyes widens at his statement. It appears that she doesn't want to leave a trail and attacked from panic. Her brows tighten. She forms hand seals as she dismisses the acid mist. The moment the mist vanished, she finishes her seals in time to strike.

"Water Release: Water Bullet Technique!"

With current lack of energy to fight, a strike from this will mean defeat for him. Fortunately, he feels her molding chakra before she finishes executing her attack, giving him time to dodge the it. He uses that advantage to hide from his opponent.

' _If I read her right, she at least won't be using that boil release of hers… Better take advantage of my small favors…'_

He creates a single shadow clone, and then hands it the stolen tools. As it leaves, he draws out the ko-wakizashi.

' _Let's dance!'_

He jumps the trees to look for his opponent. He finds her hiding out in some trees looking in all directions, a kunai in hand. He makes his way to the branch above her, then he kicks at the branch to vault himself at her, his blade going a downward arc towards her. She hears the kick, though, giving her time to react. She blocks the oncoming blade with her kunai. With his currently weak state, she easily throws him off. Fortunately, his agility saves him from falling on his back on the landing.

Now, face to face, they rush at each other, blade to blade, then retaliating with kicks and punches. This leaves his opponent no time to form the seals for any of her technique. They are at a stand still. Eventually, however, he tires out. The moment he falters, she kicks him hard enough to make him stumble.

"Water clone technique!"

A single clone emerges and starts to attack him. As he fights her water clone, she starts forming a series of hand signs. Though it stands no chance against him, it serves its purpose well. Her clone meet its end and she smirks.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

"Shit!" he exclaims as the water dragon rushes him. It impacts him with enough force to almost make him unconscious. He's quickly approaching a tree, but before he impacts it, he uses what little chakra he left and expels it all around his body. His move destroys the tree and dispels the water dragon, but leaves him with very little chakra.

He senses his opponent rushing at him, and braces himself. He is already tired, so he barely holds his opponent's attack. Just when he is losing hope, his clone dissipates from a distance, relaying to him all of the information he needs. When she strikes him again, he counters by using her momentum against her, pulling her to the direction of her strike to make her stumble. He heads off to the location his clone vanished from and she follows.

He arrives near his destination, his opponent not too far behind. She was already using her momentum to prepare a strike. He smirks. ' _Just according to plan.'_

Before her strike could make contact, he grabs her attacking arm, grabbing her kunai and redirecting her to where the trap is set. As she falls to the ground, he threw the kunai he took towards a barely visible wire and it triggers the trap. A storm of weapons approaches her quickly on all sides. Her eyes widens.

"Water Release: Water Formation Pillar!"

A water dome forms, stopping the hailstorm of weapons and saving her from certain death. There is still something he can do, however. With what little chakra he has, he injects it into her defensive dome, disrupting it. He charges at her, blade ready to strike her head off. However, she too has an ace.

"Lava Release: Quicklime Congealing Technique!"

She focuses her attack on her opponent's attacking arm. With the surrounding water, the quicklime reacts, hardening around the arm to restrict movement. She takes advantage of his current path and punches him in the face with enough force to break off the mask, throwing him a few feet from her.

"It's over…"

He gets back up, panting hard. When he lifts his face, her eyes widen.

"W-what..?"

A single Byakugan eye glares at her, his right eye shut from a scar running vertically over it. His forehead has a green seal over it. Although stealing the eyes from a clan wielding a dojutsu isn't unheard of, only Ao has ever managed to steal a Byakugan that didn't destroy itself. There is no way this man is a Hunter nin from Kirigakure. The man's eye closes and he collapses. She moves closer to inspect him.

' _No Barrier Talisman… He is definitely not a Hunter-nin... So, what are you doing here, Hyuuga..?'_

She thinks of her next action. With determination, she lifts him up, and carries him to a safe house.

' _You seem to have a good head with you… Perhaps you can be of use to me…'_

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A/N: NO idea what I am doing... Writing someone getting their ass beat even after having an awesome plan is pretty fun, though...


	3. Request

" _I'm going to teach you how to set up traps."_

" _What? Why? The gentle fist faster and deadlier, isn't it?"_

" _Don't be foolish! You won't always get the chance! If you keep relying on your strength too much, it becomes a crutch. At least this way, you have a backup plan when your primary one fails."_

" _Fine… You've been teaching me a lot of things lately. Some things a branch member like me isn't supposed to know... What's the catch?"_

" _You're my brother… If these disputes end in a war, at least we'll both be prepared."_

" _You know, you could get in trouble if anyone found out you've been teaching me some of out clan's secret techniques…"_

" _I don't care! Our clan laws are stupid, anyway… We could make our clan more powerful_ just _by teaching_ everyone _these secrets instead of just a few! We're family, for fucks sakes!"_

" _Alright! I get it." Silence. "You're scared, aren't you? Of what can happen?"_

" _I'm terrified… We're barely Chuunins… Hell, I almost died a few months ago… And now, the tension between the Lands possibly culminating into a war!"_

 _Pause. "So… I guess we should get my lesson started, huh?"_

 **Request**

The first thought that comes to him when he regains consciousness is, 'Was it all a dream?' However, the soreness he can feel throughout his body makes that conclusion improbable. He can feel that he is lying on a soft bed, though. An improvement over the hard floor he first woke up in. As he opens his eye, he wonders, 'How am I still alive?'

The Mist ninja he fought was serious at eliminating him. She came close a few times, as well. If she hadn't been trying to hide her tracks as much as she could, he would've lost sooner.

As he thinks about his luck from surviving the encounter, the door to the room he is occupying opens, catching his attention. At the door is the very ninja that defeated him. This fires up his fight or flight response into overdrive. He tries to rise up and move into a fighting stance, but all he can manage is a wince due to his injuries. The Mist Shinobi enters slowly after seeing his immediate response.

"You shouldn't make any sudden movements. You are in no condition to even stand right now." When the pain recedes, he finally notices that she is carrying a tray with a pitcher, a cup, and what looks to be a box of painkillers. "Here, I brought you some water and medicine."

She places the tray on a table, filling the cup with water and opening the box to retrieve two pills. She approaches him. "Take these for the pain."

He is hesitant to trust her. True, she is technically his savior, but she did attack first. She is as much as his saviour as she is his enemy. She notices his hesitation and sighs, placing the cup and medicine on the nightstand near the bed. "Look, I know our first impression with each other is… not very good… But, if I wanted to kill you, I would have done so the moment I defeated you. But when I broke your the mask you were wearing, I realized that there is a chance you might not be my enemy."

He quickly thinks over her words. While she is correct that he _can_ be her ally, can _she_ be his? "I technically attacked an ANBU from YOUR village… How does that small detail make me a _possible_ ally in your eyes?"

She has to admit it: this man is very observant. Just what she expects from a Hyuuga shinobi veteran. "I'll admit, that should make us enemies… With the way things are at the Mist Village, though… an enemy of my village is an ally to me…"

He takes a short moment to process this information. From what little information she has given, he can conclude a few things. "Either you're trying to overthrow your government or your village is very corrupted…"

"Smart man. You a correct… Both your statements are."

"And how long has your village been this way?"

"The Mist Village has always been ruthless to its people. It became relatively worse sometime at the start of the Fourth Mizukage's reign, however. In the past, those from the lower caste would need to kill their classmate in order to become a shinobi. That's just one of the reason the number of missing-nin is high in my village."

"If he is such a tyrant, why has no one ever tried to revolt against him?"

Her smile is sardonic. "The Mizukage has a lot of power and he knows it. People are too afraid to fight someone that powerful."

He is incredulous at that statement. "No one person is stronger than the entire village. I'm pretty sure if you had enough people, he can be taken down. Hell, with just a proper plan, he can be taken down by one person."

"Someone tried. He failed and had to leave the village. Last I remembered, he died in the hands of some Leaf shinobi." Her eyes narrows. "At the very least, he managed to stop the final exam at the academy…"

"So, you're not afraid to try and fail your ultimate mission?"

She looks away from him. "I'm… terrified…"

He narrows his eye. "I'm not saying I'm going to help you, but I am not going to risk _my_ life for _your_ village. This is your risk to make."

She grimaces. "I know, but… I was never a strong strategist. I've always had someone to rely on to make a solid plan. If I go and fail, then everything I've done would have been for nothing..."

"This sounds like a personal matter…"

She sighs. "You remember how I attacked you the moment we met? The ANBU you stole the uniform from was the ANBU that was tracking me. Before that, I just escaped from the Mizukage's fortress."

"What were you doing there in the first place?"

"I was helping a trusted friend of mine with a suspicion of his. By accident, he found signs of the Mizukage being under a very powerful genjutsu. He asked me to assist him, so I did. It didn't end well, he let himself be captured so I could escape…" She pauses. "He sacrificed himself for me. I just _can't_ let him down. But I know my limits and I can't do this alone."

She is desperate, he can tell. Whoever this friend of hers is, he must be a very important figure in her life. "Well, at least you can admit your weakness. I like that quality." He takes the cup of water and the medicine that lay almost forgotten on the nightstand. He takes the medicine and drinks the water, trusting that she isn't intending to take him out with poison. She nods at his sign of trust.

"So, you'll help me in my mission?"

He nods at her. "As soon as I am able. I honestly have no clue how long I was imprisoned here…"

Surprise flashes in her eyes. "You were imprisoned? I thought you were infiltrating the Mist…"

"No, I was kept in a strange prison. Don't worry about it. It isn't important right now."

"Alright…" A pause. "I'm Mei. Terumi Mei. What name do you go by?"

This makes him think. He actually has no memory of himself. Just bits and pieces at different points in his life. Even then, those memories are hazy. The people in it are just vague wisps of his past.

"I… honestly don't remember…"


End file.
